Wireless networks are telecommunications networks that use radio waves to carry information from one node in the network to one or more receiving nodes in the network. Cellular telephony is characterized by the use of radio cells that provide radio coverage for a geographic area, with multiple cells arranged to provide contiguous radio coverage over a larger area. Wired communication can also be used in portions of a wireless network, such as between cells or access points. Wireless communication technologies are used in connection with many applications, including, for example, satellite communications systems, portable digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, and mobile devices (e.g., cellular telephones, user equipment). Users of such applications can connect to a network (e.g., the Internet) as long as the user is within range of such a wireless communication technology.
The range of the wireless communication technology can vary depending on the deployment. A femto cell transceiver is similar in coverage to a wireless local area network (WLAN, e.g., Wi-Fi) access point and can be used to provide network access over a short range. Home nodes, often containing femto cell transceivers, can be deployed in homes and businesses to provide supplemental network access when the range or position of the other wireless communication technology of a network is inadequate. User devices may attach to home nodes to gain network access in these areas. Home nodes connect to the network through a home node gateway that interfaces with the rest of the cellular wireless network.